The number of apartments deemed affordable for very low-income families across the United States fell by more than 60 percent between 2010 and 2016, according to a new report by Freddie Mac. The report by the government-backed mortgage financier is the first to compare rent increases in specific units over time.

The federal government has been consistently getting out of the public housing game for years, and agencies are struggling. Cities need to provide the tools and funding our housing authorities need to do their jobs-and we must continue to hold them to a high standard.

Every year we are losing thousands of public housing units nationally, even as wages stagnate for the nation's lowest earners and housing costs rise in regions like ours. It's up to our region's housing authorities to maintain-and in fact increase-our public housing stock.